Mothman plush by Build-A-Bear unveiled, but cryptid creature is already gone
Listed as 'out of stock' shortly after its release, plush will be back, company says
Build-A-Bear celebrates 25 years in business
Build-A-Bear president and CEO Sharon Price John highlights personal and career moments that impacted her life and also previews ‘Unstuffed,’ a documentary on the toymaker’s success story.
A stuffed Mothman plush figure appeared to have sold out on Thursday within hours of its release on the Build-A-Bear website.
"The man. The moth. The lovable legend! Our new Mothman plush is now available exclusively online," the official Build-A-Bear account said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"This paranormal plush is inspired by the legend of the humanoid creature with glowing eyes – only way cuter and cuddlier," it added, along with a video of the plush being unboxed.
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On its website, the Mothman plush is described as a "mysterious winged friend" who "appears by popular demand – or does he?"
The description goes on, "This paranormal plush has soft black fur with bright red eyes." The plush can be customized with "outfits, sounds, scents and accessories to make him even more unique."
The Mothman plush was released as a Build-A-Bear online exclusive product on June 27, 2024. (Build-A-Bear / Fox News)
The plush is priced at $25.50 and is sold either stuffed or unstuffed.
It is presently the only product under the "Lovable Legends" category on the Build-A-Bear website.
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A "Mothman Plush Legend Gift Set," priced at $49, included the Mothman plush, along with a pair of jeans, black sneakers and a T-shirt that reads, "The Man. The Moth. The Legend."
Both the Mothman plush and the gift set were listed as "out of stock" within hours of the post announcing the release.
Those who missed out on getting their own cuddly Mothman need not worry. The Mothman plush will eventually be restocked, the company told Fox Business.
"The remarkable response to Mothman is simply another fun example of Build-A-Bear's ability to identify pop culture concepts that successfully connect with our teen and adult fanbase, which comprises about 40% of our business," Sharon Price John, president and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, said in a statement provided to FOX Business.
The "Mothman Plush Legend Gift Set" included a Mothman plush and a Mothman-themed outfit. It, too, was listed as "out of stock." (Build-A-Bear / Fox News)
"We love that our multigenerational iconic status allows us to provide fan favorites like this, and we look forward to the return of Mothman at a future date!"
Customers can sign up for a restock alert on the Build-A-Bear website, the company noted.
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On Nov. 15, 1966, two couples in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, spotted a strange creature near an abandoned National Guard Armory building and power plant, according to a Smithsonian Magazine article.
The creature was described as a "menacing figure standing six to seven feet tall" with "giant" bright red eyes.
While the "thing" was less than steady on land, it took flight and "rose up like a helicopter," according to the Smithsonian, and was able to keep up with the couples' speeding car.
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The following day, the Point Pleasant Register reported the incident under the headline, "Couples See Man-Sized Bird ... Creature ... Something," and the Athens Register in nearby Athens, Ohio, used the headline, "Winged, Red-Eyed 'Thing' Chases Point Pleasant Couples Across Countryside."
Eventually, the "Man-Sized Bird … Creature … Something" and "Winged, Red-Eyed 'Thing'" would become known as the "Mothman."
There were a handful of additional sightings over the next year in Point Pleasant.
"Winged, Red-Eyed ‘Thing’ Chases Point Pleasant Couples Across Countryside" — headline, Athens Register
A tragedy struck Point Pleasant not long after the Mothman legend began.
Thirteen months to the day after the initial Mothman sighting, the Silver Bridge — which linked Point Pleasant with Gallipolis, Ohio — collapsed into the Ohio River without warning, the West Virginia Department of Transportation said in a 2022 article commemorating the victims.
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A total of 46 people died in what was the "deadliest bridge disaster in modern history," according to the West Virginia DOT.
After the bridge collapse, Mothman sightings stopped, prompting some to wonder if the cryptid was "a sinister harbinger of doom" or was meant to serve as a warning about the imminent catastrophe, the Smithsonian said.
A Mothman statue is on display in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where the legend began. (Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post/Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Today, Point Pleasant has leaned into its most mysterious (and possibly mythical) resident.
Each year, the city hosts the Mothman Festival, featuring "live music, merchandise from various vendors, food trucks, cosplay, [and] speakers," according to its website.
The city is also home to the Mothman Museum, which includes testimony from the supposed eyewitnesses, as well as props from the 2002 film "The Mothman Prophecies."
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Other "Lovable Legends" may soon be making their way to the Build-A-Bear shelves. The official Build-A-Bear account on X replied "you got it" to a fan's request for "more cryptids please."
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